Cheapest & Quickest Way To Leave Chiang Mai For Double Entry Tourist Visa

[tig3rtig3r]

I am in Chiang Mai on a 30 day tourist stamp that I got on arrival at the airport in BKK. My 30 days runs out on 8th March and I want to apply for a double entry tourist visa so that I can stay here for 6 more months and travel around etc. Flights on Air Asia to KL to apply for the visa are quite expensive (approx $260AUD return). What is the cheapest and quickest way to get a double entry tourist visa starting in Chiang Mai? Can I get to Laos cheaply and do it all there?

[lopburi3]

Yes and yes. You can bus or fly to Udon or Nong Khai and cross to Vientiane to obtain the visa.

[tig3rtig3r]

Yes and yes. You can bus or fly to Udon or Nong Khai and cross to Vientiane to obtain the visa.

Yes, I was thinking of riding my scooter there for a bit of adventures. How much to fly from Chiang Mai to either of those places? Which airlines fly that route?

[lopburi3]

You would fly to Udon and not sure who fly's the route - believe most take bus there.

[BrianCR]

NOK AIR used to fly Chiang Mai to Udon, check their website to see if they still do. Taking your scooter from Chiang Mai to Udon? You are either a very brave or foolish man, 50% of the distance is over mountain roads that twist and turn continually as a guess it would take about 14 hours on that scooter to get there - if you are not knocked off it before you arrive!

[ubonjoe]

Cost from Chiang Mai to Udon ranges from 2200 to 3100 baht on Nok Air.

[chainarong]

Yeah ,try for a plane ride T3T3, even the bus ride can get interesting , as stated, that's a very mountainous track. I'll be coming back from Vientiane to Phitsanulok Via Chiang Mai ,14th, in the car. Goodluck

Edited March 3, 2013 by chainarong

[tig3rtig3r]

How long will it take to get the visa in Vientiane? Is it issued on the spot?

[Mario2008]

Apply in the morning of day one, get back in the afernoon of the next working day.

[iTravelNow]

Yes and yes. You can bus or fly to Udon or Nong Khai and cross to Vientiane to obtain the visa.

Hi All,

I also have a Visa that will end soon (got it at the Airport for 30 days free). My budget is very low. I have here a few questions:

[1] can I do the same going to Cambodia? I asume Lao is simpler as the Embassy is closer to the border.

[2] What are the cost for a 6 months multi-entry TV?

[3] assuming I go to Lao, can you pls give me some details (route, crossing point, thai embassy, guest house, etc.)?

I much appreciate your help - thanks a lot.

PS to "tig3rtig3r": can you pls let us quickly know your experience on return? thanks!

[inthepink]

Nok Air is the only airline currently flying from CM to UT. Fare is often closer to 4k baht than 3k though, unless you book well in advance.

[iTravelNow]

Nok Air is the only airline currently flying from CM to UT. Fare is often closer to 4k baht than 3k though, unless you book well in advance.

Due to my low budget I was rather thinking to travel over land (local bus)

Edited March 4, 2013 by iTravelNow

[iTravelNow]

Update: I just heard that two people from Germany had received their Tourist Visa for 6 months and with 3 multiple entries. Apparently they have to exit Thailand every 60 days to renew.

Does that make sense?

Regarding my request of information above: I presume that those 6 months / multiple entry is also A Tourist Visa.

Thanks for helping.

[lopburi3]

Yes and yes. You can bus or fly to Udon or Nong Khai and cross to Vientiane to obtain the visa.

Hi All,

I also have a Visa that will end soon (got it at the Airport for 30 days free). My budget is very low. I have here a few questions:

[1] can I do the same going to Cambodia? I asume Lao is simpler as the Embassy is closer to the border.

[2] What are the cost for a 6 months multi-entry TV?

[3] assuming I go to Lao, can you pls give me some details (route, crossing point, thai embassy, guest house, etc.)?

I much appreciate your help - thanks a lot.

PS to "tig3rtig3r": can you pls let us quickly know your experience on return? thanks!

1. You will likely not obtain more than a single entry in Cambodia and it normally takes four days to do so.

2. It is a two entry tourist visa - twice the normal 1,000 baht fee of single but visa only allows 60 day stay so to get 90 days you need to pay 1,900 baht for 30 day extension at immigration.

3. The route is the Nong Khai bridge. The Consulate where you get visa is not located in the Embassy. There are many hotels and guest houses available and a search here or on Google should provide plenty of reading (most Google links will return here).

[scotinsiam]

If you take a motorcycle you need paperwork to take it into Laos as an idiot I know found out to his cost, He planned to drive a Honda scooter back to UK first stop Laos - and as it turned out last stop also! lol He was allowed to leave Thailand on friendship bridge but NOT allowed into Laos with the bike - he also did not have a multi entry to get back into Thailand lol

Edited March 4, 2013 by scotinsiam

[marioc]

If you take a motorcycle you need paperwork to take it into Laos as an idiot I know found out to his cost, He planned to drive a Honda scooter back to UK first stop Laos - and as it turned out last stop also! lol He was allowed to leave Thailand on friendship bridge but NOT allowed into Laos with the bike - he also did not have a multi entry to get back into Thailand lol

[marioc]

If you take a motorcycle you need paperwork to take it into Laos as an idiot I know found out to his cost, He planned to drive a Honda scooter back to UK first stop Laos - and as it turned out last stop also! lol He was allowed to leave Thailand on friendship bridge but NOT allowed into Laos with the bike - he also did not have a multi entry to get back into Thailand lol

....sorry.....I can't help it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[iTravelNow]

Hi All,

I also have a Visa that will end soon (got it at the Airport for 30 days free). My budget is very low. I have here a few questions:

[1] can I do the same going to Cambodia? I asume Lao is simpler as the Embassy is closer to the border.

[2] What are the cost for a 6 months multi-entry TV?

[3] assuming I go to Lao, can you pls give me some details (route, crossing point, thai embassy, guest house, etc.)?

I much appreciate your help - thanks a lot.

PS to "tig3rtig3r": can you pls let us quickly know your experience on return? thanks!

1. You will likely not obtain more than a single entry in Cambodia and it normally takes four days to do so.

2. It is a two entry tourist visa - twice the normal 1,000 baht fee of single but visa only allows 60 day stay so to get 90 days you need to pay 1,900 baht for 30 day extension at immigration.

3. The route is the Nong Khai bridge. The Consulate where you get visa is not located in the Embassy. There are many hotels and guest houses available and a search here or on Google should provide plenty of reading (most Google links will return here).

Thank you for those details.

RE: 1 - So Cambodia is out as Lao seems to process faster

RE: 2 - If I understand you right I need 3000 Baht for 3 months. Makes not much sens. Maybe I should just redo the vRun after 60 days.

RE: 3 - Thanks for those details will google/search for it.

I would also have another option to just go for a while to Malaysia (free visa at border up to 3 months). So making a shuttle between two countries. Not ideal but sure feasable.

[ubonjoe]

The 1900 baht for the 30 day extension of tourist visa would certainly be less than making another trip for a new visa somewhere.

Plus if you get a 2 entry visa with extension you can get almost 6 months of stay without needing to get a new visa and would only need to do one border run to use the 2nd entry.

[ShinMusashi44]

I just did this about 2 weeks ago. Here are some of my cost (some cost might be off a little, going from memory)

1 VIP Bus from Chiang Mai to Udon Thani 880 B

2 Bus from Udon Thani to Nong Khai 40 B

3 Tuk tuk to visa agency and to border (different amounts for everyone) Laos visa 1,700 B, 500 B for the agency, tuk tuk 240 B

NOTE: I went to the agency cause they do everything for you, all paperwork and walk you through the borders and have someone take you to Consulate. For 500 baht its a good deal to me and it makes everything faster.

4 Laos border to Consulate 300 B

5 Hotel by Consulate 900 B (overpriced hotel but nice, I wouldn't stay here again. Only stayed here cause it was my first time and didn't know my way around)

6 Double entry visa 2,000 B

7 Taxi back to Border 300 B

8 Bus over border 20 or 40 B can't remember

9 Taxi to Nong Khai 100 B

10 Bus from Nong Khai to Udon Thani 40 B

NOTE: next time I will fly back. It's 3,000 B for a ticket for Udon to CM

11 VIP bus to Chiang Mai 880 B

[iTravelNow]

The 1900 baht for the 30 day extension of tourist visa would certainly be less than making another trip for a new visa somewhere.

Thank you for pointing this out - have not thought of it in such detail.

Plus if you get a 2 entry visa with extension you can get almost 6 months of stay without needing to get a new visa and would only need to do one border run to use the 2nd entry.

Let me ask back to see if I got it right.

This means I then can after 30 days go to the nearest border (where you usually only would get 2 weeks) and use that 2nd entry (out and in) and get another 30 days from border custom? And how much would that second entry with stamp cost?

Edited March 7, 2013 by iTravelNow

[iTravelNow]

I just did this about 2 weeks ago. Here are some of my cost (some cost might be off a little, going from memory)

Marvelous - thank you for those details.

NOTE: I went to the agency cause they do everything for you, all

paperwork and walk you through the borders and have someone take you to

Consulate. For 500 baht its a good deal to me and it makes everything

faster.

Would you have the name from them please?

5 Hotel by Consulate 900 B (overpriced hotel but nice, I wouldn't stay here again.

Only stayed here cause it was my first time and didn't know my way

around)

Would you by chance recomend (by name) another place?

6 Double entry visa 2,000 B

Is that for all 3-months?

Again, thanks for the details.

[iTravelNow]

I just did this about 2 weeks ago. Here are some of my cost (some cost might be off a little, going from memory)

I read here on ThaiVisa.com that all is focused on Laos. That trip you mentioned is near 200 US$ not included any trip from BKK to Udon Thani and back.

Would it not be better to do a VisaRun to Malaysia going by train and obtaining 3 months with the help of an agency like ShinMusashi44 described it?

Any experiences on that please? Thanks!

[qdinthailand]

NOK AIR used to fly Chiang Mai to Udon, check their website to see if they still do. Taking your scooter from Chiang Mai to Udon? You are either a very brave or foolish man, 50% of the distance is over mountain roads that twist and turn continually as a guess it would take about 14 hours on that scooter to get there - if you are not knocked off it before you arrive!

I did a visa run there on a Kawasaki 250cc Tracker. I left Chiang Mai 8 a.m., stopped for lunch, a few breaks, had to check into hotel in Chum Phae shortly before nightfall - I don't ride after dark. Finished the journey next day.

On return, left Nong Khai at sunrise, hustled all day over slightly different route (via Loei, Lom Sak, some backroads around Sukhothai to highway 1), stopping only for gas and about 30 minutes for lunch, got into Chiang Mai about 45 minutes after sunset.

Good luck with that scooter.

[qdinthailand]

If you take a motorcycle you need paperwork to take it into Laos as an idiot I know found out to his cost, He planned to drive a Honda scooter back to UK first stop Laos - and as it turned out last stop also! lol He was allowed to leave Thailand on friendship bridge but NOT allowed into Laos with the bike - he also did not have a multi entry to get back into Thailand lol

for doing a visa run by motorbike to Nong Khai/Vientianne - you'll probably arrive in Nong Khai too late to do it in the mornings, so check into a guest house where they'll let you leave bike (maybe for small fee) in their enclosed compound, do visa run next a.m., stay overnight, return next afternoon, and collect bike from guest house. Either stay over night or leave, but you won't get far before dark. (I'd just stay myself, see a bit of Nong Khai, then leave early next a.m.).